Last days!

Yesterday we were treated to a church-wide going away potluck at a nearby park with 50 or so of our closest friends. It was a relaxing way to have final interactions with people who have meant so much to us this year and have enriched our lives in ways we never would have expected. God has been gracious in giving Scotty and me peace and confidence that these relationships are not ending, but only moving to a different level. Blogs will take on a new meaning as we keep up with friends, watch their kids grow, and provide a way for you all to have insight into our daily lives in La Paz.

Although yesterday was our official first anniversary, we celebrated on Saturday by filling our day with stuff we love to do as a couple. Pancakes, a long bike ride, movie watching, pool visit, and international cuisine filled our hours with enjoyment as we looked back over an amazing first year of fun, challenge, and much growth personally and as a couple. I am anticipating a new set of dynamics as we learn to be a married couple in a foreign country doing full time ministry. God has been so faithful to us, and we trust Him to continue.

Scotty's parents arrived last night and have already made a huge difference in our packing and preparations. Papi has a mind that must work like tetris, because he is able to load a car, trunk, moving van, or any other empty space to its full capacity, and has been doing the majority of the packing. It doesn't seem very long ago that they were here helping us set up house in our first home- it seems only appropriate that they send us off. I have got the best in-laws a person could hope for!


No, this is not bubble gum in the form of a toilet paper roll- it is the official TP of choice in Bolivia. It may sound disgusting (and it is), but you can often find strips of this paper strewn about the city streets or caught in dry brush on the side of a well traveled country road. Bolivia makes pink toilet paper...bright pink. I think the only other option I've seen is light green, but only rarely. We brought this roll back as a joke for our friend Micah who got married this year, but forgot to give it to him. As providence would have it, we ran out of our cottony soft, snowy white, American TP this afternoon, and now have the pleasure of readjusting our senses to this lovely alternative as just one more step of preparation for our return.

Are you serious??

This may look like an ordanary knife drawer...but it's not. You see, I have made numerous pizza crusts, cookies, and other baked items that called for a rolling pin. Because all of our kitchen equipment was graciously donated to us from my grandmother's kitchen when we got married, I sometimes am not aware of what we do and do not have. A rolling pin was an item that I was certain we did not have. Many hours I've slaved over a ball of dough, trying in vain to roll it out with a large glass covered in flour that did not want to stick to it. If only I had a rolling pin, I thought. But, I don't want to buy one when we are just going to be moving soon (my "miser" side coming out). But wait! As I was cleaning out this very knife drawer, I came upon this rolling pin...it's been sitting there for a year!! Scotty and I both open this drawer at least twice a day, and neither of us have ever noticed the pin sitting there. Words can't describe how silly I felt...but I'm sure you can imagine.

Misers Believe It or Not

There are some strange and wild things happening in the homes we have been visiting lately. Take a look for yourself and be amazed...

Lexi, a young Doberman, has recently joined the work-out craze by spending between 1-2 hours each day jogging on the treadmill. Besides a sleek, muscular body, her owners, Danny and Tabitha, rave about her subdued attitude towards guests in the house after a good run.



















Joy and Nathan Tiegland found this giant zucchini eating all the smaller vegetables in their garden out back. For punishment, we turned him into garlic, zucchini steaks on the grill.

Lavished

While looking for another verse today that sums up what we are experiencing in our lives right now, I came upon one that is even better that I was imagining: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth." (Ephesians 1:7-9). Can you feel the weight of this verse? Scotty and I have been very aware of the goodness of the Lord as He is working out all the little details that we have been praying about for months. There are so many in Charlotte that we want to spend time with, and even with busy schedules, everyone is falling nicely into place so that we are able to spend much time in fellowship before we leave. We also see His rich mercy in meeting our support needs as new people seem to be coming on so quickly now that we are nearing our departure date. I was thinking of these things as I came across this verse and realized that what God is doing now is gracious, but what He has done for us through His son on the cross, and all that means for our lives, is awesome. He is making known to us His mysteries and you can sense the grandeur of His plan for us, worked out from the beginning and extending through eternity. It is humbling to know that He has a part for each of us in that. It is encouraging for me to be reminded that for us it means living in Bolivia and actively taking part in His kingdom there. This is our dining room in our apartment in La Paz. Our two dads are on the edges, with Randy, Scotty's old roomie, my mom, and Scotty pictured in the middle. We're playing our favorite board game called Settlers of Catan. The sun is streaming in through the corrugated roof in the entry way. I put this picture in because I know that much of our ministry will revolve around this table as we invite people over for dinner or coffee and engage in discipleship and relationship evangelism. This picture excites me to think about daily life and involvement with Bolivians in our home and the ways the Lord will continue uniting all things in Him, things in heaven and on earth.

Stench

Scotty and I were greeted with a blast of rotting meat smell as we entered our house last night. Scotty followed his nose to the refrigerator where we found that at some point during the week the circuit breaker had flipped and our fridge shut off. EVERYTHING that could go bad, did. There was a nice trail of meat blood that had congealed on the outside and in a nice puddle on the floor. Once you got past the smell (actually, we never got past the smell), it was amusing to see our food in various states of decomposition. My favorite was the can of biscuits that I had stored in the door that had popped and jumped from the door onto the shelf, leaving a little biscuit blop behind. We have acrobatic food.


Here is the evidence found in the door, with the rest of the biscuit oozing out of the can on the shelf.


Besides the obvious initial inconvenience, we are so glad to be home and back in prep mode. The rest of our Minneapolis adventure was great, spending much of our weekend with various friends and doing lots of barbequeing. Sunday we attended the "All church outdoor service" at Bethlehem Baptist Church, and were blessed to be commissioned by Pastor John, along with 2 other missionary couples. God is stirring in our hearts much anticipation and desire to gird ourselves with prayer as we look towards these 7 weeks before take-off.

Joe, Scotty, and Kevin. The 2 other guys are actually standing on small stools to try and make Scotty look average height.

Our awesome hosts, Joe and Anne. These 2 little guys are Andrew and Caleb, sons of our friends the Harmes.

Scotty doing the Heisman with Kaya, daughter of our friends, the Vanderheidens.

Dream house

In my dreams Scotty and I have built this house on a hillside in Mallasilla, Bolivia. We eat breakfast on the front porch every morning while our two dogs run circles in the front yard and our kittens lap milk and bread (cat food of choice) from their bowls near our feet. We gaze into the nearby mountains, pondering God's powerful creation and why these knock-off cornflakes taste like cardboard (the really good cereal is a bit expensive there). Seriously, I love this house.

So, besides dreaming about other peoples' houses, we are having quite an enjoyable and relaxing time in Minneapolis. Like it or not, a fair amount of our friends here are out of town this week, so we've found ourselves with more downtime than we are used to on these roadtrips of ours. God has blessed us with gorgeous blue skies and warm, dry weather, which creates the perfect atmosphere to take advantage of the numerous lakes and trails around the city. We've taken many walks together, one of our favorite pastimes, and spent the evenings drinking in the hospitality of our favorite Minnesotans. A new appreciation for this city has been born within me now that the grasses aren't covered with snow and the windows of the homes are left open for the warm breeze. There are little cafes and coffee shops on every corner, as well as a dazzling smorgasboard of international cuisine that brings joy to my heart as I think about how fun it would be to try each one. I can finally begin to see why Scotty holds this place so near to his heart, besides the amazing relationships he has formed with so many here.